This foray into music has been something of a punchline ever since, if only because the whole ordeal seemed decidedly un-Spurs. And while it was safe to predict that Parker would never rap again, he confirmed as much in a recent interview with Tele-Loisirs (via Project Spurs and EOB, translation via Google Translate and my own sense of what constitutes a real sentence):

In 2007, his music career was launched when he released his first album which featured guest appearances from Jamie Foxx and Booba Soprano. The single from this album sold nearly 50,000 copies. Despite this good result, after a time considering recording a second effort, he changed his mind and now he confirms that his career is over. "I'm retired from music." What a pity ...

Quelle horreur, indeed! Although Parker never reached the heights of MC Solaar and other French hip-hop legends, he was not without success, even if some of those sales likely came from people interested in the curiosity of the best-ever French basketball player venturing into the studio. It appears that Parker is done, though, whether out of boredom or the shame of being made fun of every time anyone brings up his rap career.

It should be noted, of course, that those of us who do love these jokes — and, let's face it, the simple fact that I'm writing this post means I'm one of those people — do not have to stop simply because Parker no longer raps in public. As any English teacher will tell you, art exists in the eternal present. We'll always have "Balance-Toi."